Jaguar on high-tech highway

Jaguar's design is fundamentally the same as the company's first car.

Jaguar and tyre company Goodyear are working with scientists at Britain's Cambridge University to make quieter wheel hubs.

They believe the high-frequency vibrations the hubs make are the hidden cause of cabin noise, and the plan is to quieten them down.

The study is the next step along a high-tech highway. The first was the move to a space-frame aluminium monocoque body in the XJ saloon.

The latest is Jaguar's most technically advanced vehicle yet - the all-aluminium XK coupe, clearly a continuation of the style of the Advanced Lightweight Coupe concept which was unveiled at the Detroit motor show in January.

Jaguar says it is lighter, faster and better equipped than the model it replaces, with substantial improvements in performance, driving dynamics, braking, safety and economy.

It has a longer wheelbase, wider track and taller roofline than the outgoing model, but it has styling features that echo the E-Type of 40 years ago: power vents on the wings ahead of the doors, power bulge on the bonnet, distinctive oval grille, and a liftback rear door.

The new shape wraps more tightly around the mechanical underpinnings, styling that Jaguar concedes arguably has more in common with the original XKs and the C, D and E-types.

"The fundamental values of Jaguar design have not changed since Sir William Lyons created the first Jaguar," says design director Ian Callum.

"The entire design team worked with those values as we looked to create a car with clean lines, a purposeful stance and exquisite proportions.

"We took influences from our heritage and evolved them to produce a car that is beautiful, visually fast yet undeniably modern - just as Sir William's designs were in their day."

The new coupe, to be unveiled at this month's Frankfurt motor show, will go on sale in New Zealand next year. It will be followed by a convertible and supercharged XKR models. Starting price will be upwards of $200,000.

Jaguar says the car's aluminium bodyshell is 31 per cent stiffer than the outgoing XK but comes with a 10 per cent improvement in power-to-weight ratio. It also weighs 90kg less than today's XK.

The combination of the lighter weight and a revised version of Jaguar's 4.2-litre V8 engine propels the coupe from zero to 100km/h in under six seconds, and on to a top speed of 250km/h (155mph), says the carmaker.

It completes the 400m sprint in 14.4 seconds, less than half a second off the pace of the previous 400bhp supercharged XKR.

The naturally aspirated engine develops 224kW (300bhp) at 6000rpm and 420Nm of torque at 4100rpm. Jaguar says more than 90 per cent of torque is delivered between 2000rpm and 6000rpm.

The V8 is mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode that replaces the long-time "J" gate shift.

The unit incorporates steering wheel-mounted paddles and offers several drive options.

Jaguar says the XK has a new, high-performance braking system where the anti-lock ABS can vary the brake pressure at each wheel using analogue valves in the hydraulic control unit.

This gives more refinement to the hydraulic pressure control and allows drivers to benefit from increased steering input during heavy braking.

The steering rack is adapted from the XJ saloon to give easy low-speed manoeuvring with optimum high-speed feedback under all conditions.

New technology includes active headlights, keyless door entry, a touchscreen on the dashboard, and a pedestrian-friendly bonnet - a first for Jaguar.